3 proposed marijuana businesses win favorable Holyoke recommendations

Updated July 31, 2018 at 10:01 PM;Posted July 31, 2018 at 9:59 PM

6/12/18 - HOLYOKE - Jorge Tirse of Gloversville, New York, under the company name East Coast Pharms, left, and his lawyer, Richard M. Evans of Northampton, right, along with Eugene McCain of West Newton, Massachusetts, far right, under the company name Canna Provisions Inc., received favorable recommendations for their separate recreational marijuana proposals from a Holyoke City Council committee at City Hall Tuesday, July 31, 2018. (MIKE PLAISANCE / THE REPUBLICAN)

HOLYOKE -- Three of five proposals from marijuana businesses Tuesday received favorable recommendations from a City Council committee at City Hall.

A fourth was continued to next month and a fifth withdrew.

The committee voted 5-0 to recommend that the full City Council grant special permits to:

Canna Provisions, which wants to open a recreational marijuana dispensary at 380R Dwight St.;

East Coast Pharms, which wants to operate a dispensary for medical and recreational marijuana at 630 Beaulieu St.;

RISE Holdings Inc., formerly GTI Massachusetts NP Corp., which has been operating a medical marijuana facility at 28 Appleton St. since April and is seeking permission to add cultivation of plants for recreational marijuana sales.

The City Council will consider the recommendations Tuesday at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

The committee continued to Sept. 11 consideration of the application for a special permit from Holyoke Gardens LLC. The company wants to cultivate and produce marijuana and marijuana products for sale to licensed establishments in Massachusetts at 5 Appleton St.

The committee continued the Holyoke Gardens proposal because councilors said they want to hear comments from planning department staff. The planning department is reviewing the company's responses to questions dealing with a water main, a letter from the building commissioner, windows, the basement, a sublease arrangement at the property and other matters.

Hothouse Holyoke withdrew its application for a special permit for a marijuana cultivation facility because it has changed its planned location to 90 Sargeant St. from the original 5B Appleton St. The change in location requires that the permit application be refiled, councilors said.

Check back with The Republican and MassLive.com for more coverage of the marijuana proposals, including photos and video, before the Holyoke City Council Ordinance Committee.